83

susceptibility of indigenous cattle and the virulence of the prevalent
strains. Although the disease was probably rare, it would perhaps
be found on further investigation that, as had been revealed in the
course of the discussion on anthrax, it was more prevalent than had
been suspected if a more thorough search for the condition was made.
Recently, he had approached the Director of the Indian Medical
Research Fund Association with a view to obtaining the assistance
of a colleague from his staff to collaborate in further work to be
undertaken at Muktesar, and he understood that Dr. Soparkar was
to be deputed for this work. As had been pointed out in the course
of the discussion on contagious abortion, tuberculosis and contagious
abortion were now the two most important infectious diseases of
cattle in Western countries. It had been stated by a distinguished
authority recently that there were probably not ten large herds of
considerable size in England free from the disease, and it was said
that the average incidence of tuberculous infection in Europe was
probably from 20 to 30 per cent. in all cattle. This extraordinary
high incidence of infection was undoubtedly connected with the
economic development of the cattle industry. This development
was correlated with the efforts made to improve the breeds of cattle
for the special purposes for which they were destined, which entailed
the introduction of individuals from other herds, improved facilities
of transport, aggregation of large number of cattle in closed estab-
lishments, and the development of the dairy industry. With the
economic development of the cattle industry in India, it was not
unlikely that the same factors which had operated to cause the spread
of tuberculosis in other civilized countries would obtain in this
country also. Perhaps on account of climatic conditions there
would not be the same danger of spread due to the adoption of
systems of housing as there had been in cooler countries. Notwith-
standing this, he believed that in places such as the Southern States
of U. S. A. and in Argentina, the conditions were not far different
from those in India and tuberculosis had become a serious menace
to the rapid economic development of the cattle industry. If we
were thus confronted eventually with a comparable danger, it was
obvious that in the event of proof forthcoming that the incidence of
infection at the present time was very low, the most serious pre-
cautions should be taken to prevent the disease from obtaining a
foothold in the important herds in the country, so that the condition
of affairs which existed at the present time in the important herds
in Europe should not be allowed to establish itself in India. He
would thus like to impress upon the meeting that they should
recommend the prosecution of reasearch into the question of the
prevalence and nature of tuberculous infection in cattle in India
with the utmost speed, and that endeavours should then be made to